Wednesday, August 24, 2016

After a very long cross country car ride with chows in the
back seat and everything we had access to in the trunk, we finally arrived in
the Northeast…New Jersey, actually, to the home of who would become my
Gardnerian High Priestess and later Witch Queen. We spent the night with her
and the next morning made it up to Massachusetts. I have to admit, the first
couple of months are still some of my most exciting memories of the entire
experience. The rocky landscape, the wild European herbs growing alongside the
roads, the small fishing towns that look like they were made for Stephen King
novels, and the difference in the air and sky were just all new, fantastic
experiences. The cute cemeteries, the rocky coastlines, the quaint coffee shops
and local pubs, and that the temperature at night went below 80 degrees in
September was so exciting. The people, not so much. It was a bit of a culture
shock, really. Most folks were very understanding when they heard we were just
up from New Orleans and the Katrina thing, but otherwise they were kind of
prickly and rude. But I guess that’s the Southerner in me. And don’t get me
started on the accent!

My partner’s sister and brother-in-law owned a three family
in Beverly, and at first we stayed with his mother on the second floor. Later,
the third floor tenants were evicted and we moved in up there. When they opened
up New Orleans, we rented a truck, drove all the way down there, packed up
whatever we could salvage, and drove all the way back. That week sucked.
However, right before that and just in time for my birthday, I was initiated
into Gardnerian Wicca by the New Jersey HPS in the temple of a well-known HPS
in New York. Woohoo, I was finally in! With all these new exciting things
happening for me, and with this Southern boy experiencing his first New England
Autumn (holy crap it was magical!)…what’s the phrase from Practical Magic…oh,
yes, “with the sweet, comes the sour.” Salem. And Salem Witches. Looking back
on it, I’m not really sure what I expected, but considering the whole scene is
a tourist industry based on a tragic piece of American history, started and
kept going by business owners who tattoo their faces based on works of fiction
and practice daily occult cosplay? Well, I don’t know what to say about all
that. However, I can say that it didn’t matter that my partner and I had just
had our lives turned upside by the worst natural disaster in the history of the
country, a few Salem Witches decided to pick up old axes and began to grind in very
petty ways. This was in part due to my partner’s history with several of them,
and I was convicted as guilty by association without ever having met any of
them. Hanged without a fair trial. How fitting for Salem.

Enough about all that, just suffice it to say that it never
got any better and continues to this day. Ignoring it is the best medicine for
that ailment. So, aside from petty pagan politics, the next three years were
like existing inside this bubble of witchcraft and coven meetings. My partner
and I moved into another house, and started up a grove of the Minoan Brotherhood as well as set the stage for
a Gardnerian and Alexandrian coven. Every other weekend it seems was full of
gatherings to meet new people, training classes, circles, initiations,
elevations, sabbats, adopting other initiates into our groups and lineages,
making magical tools...vacuuming the floors, loading and unloading the
dishwasher, picking up after people left, getting little rest before the
workweek started up again. It was exciting and exhausting at the same time. Oh,
and I can’t forget SO MUCH HANDCOPYING of Books of Shadows! But having the High
Priest as a partner meant lots of conversations about Craft matters pretty much
on a nightly basis, and that made the copying go easier. I absorbed so much Craft
information, experienced so many circles, witnessed and participated in so many
initiations during that time it seems like it should have been nine years
instead of three! I think time moves differently in the North.

Well, as goes the way of all things, this chapter in my life
came to an end as my partner and I split, and I moved closer to my job in
Boston. I continued my Minoan Brotherhood grove, but put Gardnerian,
Alexandrian, and the NY Welsh (which I received right before the split) on
hold, save for a few circles here and there with other covens. After a year of
this I was approved, and rather quickly, for a transfer to…New Orleans! I was
so excited to be going back to my spiritual home, especially considering how
the city had recovered in the four-ish years since I’d left. And to be bringing
these Craft traditions with me! I flew down that January for the birth of my
sister’s first child, and while passing through New Orleans, stopped and picked
up some key things around the city. I used those in my working to have my
transfer go through as fast as possible and promised that if it did I’d work to
establish these traditions down there. Well, something worked cause not only
did my transfer go through in record time for a government position, but my job
paid for it and hired movers to move all my stuff! It was the easiest move of
my life, and considering how many times I moved during my pre-Katrina NOLA
days, that’s saying a lot! Two months later I was back in time for the 2010 St.
Patrick’s Day parade and starting over again, but this time I was home.

I wasted no time in establishing my Minoan grove and
starting things up with the one third degree Gardnerian High Priestess in the
whole region, who was pretty much the only one left from the pre-Katrina coven.
The one in Baton Rouge we stayed with during the storm, I heard, had left for
California. My grove flourished, the coven though didn’t get very far, and after
about a year things changed. The Gard HPS moved to Florida, and my spiritual
life took a rather strange turn. I’d already gone back to Haiti in 2007 and become an
Houngan (priest) in Vodou, but then other spiritual forces started creeping in.
Much darker ones than I’d dealt with before. I blame it on New Orleans in
general having a very active dead scene and living two blocks from the beginning
of the Cemetery District. (Not really, but sounds good, doesn't it?) Enter La Santisima Muerte, Palo Mayombe, and in some
ways Quimbanda…all stories for another time because this is about witchcraft!
But, yes, I placed my Craft practices on hold for a couple of years in order to
deal with these systems and forces and integrate them into my life. Those were…interesting
years. I learned a lot about love, death, despair, drugs, depression, suicide, anxiety,
more petty politics, betrayal, paranoia…many of these things I experienced indirectly,
but all of these things are ones usually hidden by night and shadow, which I’d
stepped willingly into without knowing.

During all this, though, and as the gods would have it, one
of the people who attended the Santa Muerte chaplet services approached me for
Craft training. At first, I really didn’t want to start all that back up again
considering everything I had on my plate, but she asked a few more times over
the course of some months, so I agreed. I geared myself up for BTW work, blew
the dust off my Book of Shadows, and to my surprise it was refreshing to be
circling again. Things flowed nicely and we started up a coven. Now I’m not
gonna lie and say it’s been Woohoo! Wicca! over the last three years. There’s
been some ups and downs, but as it currently stands the coven is active, I’ve
decided to reboot my Minoan grove, and there are new people popping up for
both. So, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me still with one hell of a juggling
act to manage.

Post-Katrina has been just as much of a ride as pre-Katrina
was, and of course I’ve struggled quite a bit. Having European-descended modern
witchcraft and BTW on one side and the ADRs on the other has most certainly
been a challenge. (And of course Santa Muerte comes in and fucks up everything
I thought I knew.) For instance, with the ADRs you have a direct, unbroken
history and sets of practices, necessarily altered to work in the New World,
and the spiritual beings that have distinct personalities and backstories. Then
you have the New World syncretic folk practices and “saints” that have popped up from
the merging of different cultures and spiritual traditions, but still the
timelines are relatively easy to follow. But looking at BTW and modern
witchcraft from this point of view, it’s like who the fuck are these gods and
spirits? Yes, I know we have secret names for them, but where the hell are
their stories, outside Doreen Valiente, that is? Who the hell is THE GODDESS?
Which one are you talking about? And wtf with all the waving around of wands
and knives? Did that particular patch of air just piss you off or something? It’s
taken me a while to reconcile these very different approaches to the spiritual,
and in all honesty it’s a continual thing. I don’t claim to have any solid
answers about any of this crazy shit, but I’ve managed to arrive at certain
points on how it all works…FOR ME. I can’t speak for anyone else, and the
struggle has been real, but at least I sleep better at night the more I just
let it happen and keep following where my gods, spirits, and ancestors lead.

Friday, August 19, 2016

On the night of December 24, 1996 there was a full moon, and
I was standing outside a tiny Catholic church in my hometown of Magee, MS
waiting for my first boyfriend to finish up his duties as choir director for
the Midnight Mass that just happened. It was a bit chilly, and the sky was
clear. My boyfriend’s father was standing nearby talking with a fellow parishioner,
and I overheard him say something about the winter solstice and the full moon,
so I looked up. When my eyes made contact with that lunar orb this electric,
tingling sensation ran all over my body. Shocked, my eyes focused on the moon,
and it was as if everything else quickly melted away. All I could see was a
tapestry of white, blue, silver, and black. From nowhere, inside my head, and
all around me, I heard a woman’s voice say, “You will find your path soon,” and
as quickly as it came on, the whole thing ended. I remembered where I was when
my boyfriend walked up and started talking. I probably looked all deer in
headlights, but shook it off and went about the night.

That next week on New Year’s Eve I found myself in a
bookstore in one of the malls in Jackson, MS, and I wondered into the tiny New
Age section and started browsing through all the titles. I squatted down to
look at the bottom shelf and one cover caught my attention. A guy in a
yellowish robe was standing near a stone altar holding something with smoke
coming off it. As I reached for it and stood up, another electric rush went
through me, and I felt the spirit of my mother standing behind me. She died
when I was 8, and I’d felt her from time to time growing up, but never this
strongly before. It felt as if she placed her hand on my left shoulder, then
faded away. Well, I’m not that thick-headed, so I bought the book! It was Scott
Cunningham’s “Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.” I devoured it and
went back to buy as many books as my Wal-Mart paycheck allowed. So many new and
exciting concepts and things to try, and so many questions! Like, was the voice
I heard the night of the full moon my mother’s or someone else’s? If it was
her, was she actually guiding me towards this path? I grew up Pentecostal but
left the church after I realized I was always staring at the butts of the
football players and not the cheerleaders, but witchcraft? Wicca? Isn’t that
the devil? I mean, I'd had a long fascination with it growing up, reading all the books in the library about it, and all, having dead relatives visit me in dreams, but... I’m going to Hell now, right? I’m fucked.

It would be years later before my mom’s sister (now my
stepmother…welcome to the South!) told me that Momma had started practicing
witchcraft before she died. Of course she did! Red headed, one of ten kids who
couldn’t get away from home fast enough, so she stole my dad out from under her
sister and ran for it. The adventurous black sheep that she was, Sagittarius
sun sign, housewife in the 80s, of course she practiced witchcraft! Looking back I
think it’s probably safe to assume her spirit was really there, giving me that
nudge I needed to begin what’s now been a two decade journey into the
fascinating, frustrating, exciting, disappointing, and ever renewing world of
modern witchcraft and Wicca. Try as I have over the years to quit this
addiction, it seems to be my drug, and the sight of a full moon always brings
on a craving. In fact, I had a conversation with Her last night, which is why I’m
writing this today. I want to share my story in hopes that it helps or inspires
others in some way. Maybe others are struggling with a similar type of thing.

Ok, enough with the after school special, back to the story.

So there I was, back at my community college dorm reading
all these books. (Yes, Llewellyn books…every single one…whatever, it’s all I
could find/afford back then.) Dashing off to the crafts and fabric section of
the local Wal-Mart, I started fashioning my tools and making my robe. By hand;
no sewing machine. My Aunt Yvonna (no, no…where I’m from we pronounce that
WHY-VONE-AH) taught me to hand stich before she died. (Yes, there were a lot of
deaths in my family growing up, and that plays into another area of my
spiritual life that comes in years later, but that’s a different thing.) Before I
could blink, I had all the things! I was the witchiest Wicca witchlet in
Wesson, MS, which is where my college was. Gay and a witch in rural south MS in
the 90s. I have no idea how I survived, but by the grace of the gods I did, and
by 1998 I wound up attending Mississippi State after having taken a year off school
to live it up in the state capital. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the wild,
legendary gay nightlife of that one gay club in Jackson that kept closing down,
moving locations, and changing its name. What were its names again? The
Birdcage? Jack and Jill’s? Polyester? The Village? Yeah, that one.

My time at Mississippi State opened me up to other eclectic,
pagany people, as well as ceremonial magicians, vampires, and other goth kids
of many flavors. I got some folks together, and we created the Mississippi
State University Wiccan/Pagan Student Alliance. Which is a fancy title for the
handful of us that would meet once a month and talk about things we had absolutely
no real experience in, because that’s what college kids do. But it was the
first one of its kind in the state, and we were all proud of that. This opened
us up to some expected situations, like all the Christian groups trying to tell
us we were all going to hell at our fall festival booth. And some unexpected ones
like me becoming friends with one of the Campus Crusade for Christ counselors
to the point that I stayed in her minimalist apartment one summer while I took
summer classes and she was off on a mission trip. Curiously, it was that summer
where I was listening to a radio show on NPR (seriously, she did not have a TV!)
when I first discovered anything Afro-Caribbean. They were doing a special on
Santeria, so after the program I went to the university library and started doing some research.
Like the good eclectic Wiccan I was, I immediately started to pray to the Orishas,
and they must have answered cause I lit some incense, called to Shango, and
there was a thunderstorm half an hour later! Yeah? No? Ok, well, whatever.

After graduation I hung around for another semester to apply
for grad schools, which translates into: I had no idea what I wanted to do with
my life and the new Bachelor’s in philosophy and world religious studies. (Really?
What the hell was I thinking? I was thinking a LOT because of all those
philosophy papers I had to write!) But there was one thing I knew I had to do,
as it had been a burning desire for the last few years. I had to move to New
Orleans. My mom’s family had lived in New Orleans long ago, and I grew up with
stories about it, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I first visited. Friends
brought me down here to party at the gay clubs (back when 18 year olds could
still get in, you just got this huge black X on your hand), and I absolutely
fell in love with it. Obsessively. I drove down every chance I got. Shopped at
the witch shops, as there were a lot more back then, walked around the French
Quarter, marveling at the history and architecture, and danced in the clubs.
For a poor little gay Mississippi boy, living in New Orleans would be a dream
come true.

And I made it happen. January 2001 I started the Master’s
program in religious studies at Loyola University, and almost immediately
started meeting Pagans, Wiccans, and many others in the city. This was a lot
different from my mild Mississippi State meetings with the WPSA, lemmetellya! The
local Wiccan church, which held all the public circles, had just had this huge blow
up between the two head priestesses, and everyone was all up in arms over this
or that, and I had no idea what was going on! So, I just focused on completing
my correspondence training with this coven in Connecticut I’d made contact with
towards the end of my time at MSU. The Sacred Garden Tradition of Wicca, it was
called, and I did all my training via email and degree initiations in my little
solitary circles. I did eventually start up my own coven in this, but it didn’t
quite last that long. I had no leadership experience, and the rituals were a
bit like a bad high school theater version of the movie The Craft. Bad acting
and really crappy special effects. I did manage to meet the Gardnerian coven
around that time and started their Outer Court training, but after my friend
got busted having an affair with the High Priest’s boyfriend I got blackballed.
No matter, as I’d found Haitian Vodou at that point, and from there a whole other
adventure started…which I’ll write about later.

Ok, fast forward a few years to 2005. Witchcraft and Wicca
had been on the backburner for a couple of years because of Vodou, and I was
starting to feel that percolating feeling inside, but wasn’t sure what to do
about it. Oh, but wait! Remember the Gardnerian High Priest I mentioned? Yeah,
we totally started dating, and I moved in with him. I know, it was fast, but the
house I was living in sold, and I couldn’t find another place in time. Well, this
High Priest held a few different Craft traditions, and he brought me into the
Minoan Brotherhood, the BTW offshoot tradition for gay/bi men started in NYC by
Eddie Buczynski in the 70s. Finally! I was initiated into a legit tradition of
witchcraft! And connected to an oathbound community…er, Brotherhood…um, secret
online group where no one seemed to be able to get along. But you kind of have to
expect that when you have a bunch of queens with titles arguing over, I mean
discussing, things behind the safety of a computer screen. Anyway, plans were
being made for me to be brought into the Gardnerian coven (the same one that I got
kicked out of their Outer Court), but the High Priestess wasn’t all that keen
on the idea. She had a distaste for my involvement in Vodou, and it took a lot of
convincing, but she finally agreed. And it almost happened! But….late August
2005…y’all remember what happened in New Orleans around that time? Yep.
HURRICANE KATRINA.

After realizing how bad it was about to get in the city, my
partner and I packed up two Chows, some clothes and all our ritual tools and
Books of Shadows (like ya do) and got the hell out of town. We evacuated to the
High Priestess’ restored antebellum plantation house in Port Allen, just over
the river from Baton Rouge. Two hellish weeks we spent there with 12 people, 12
dogs, and 20 cats. Hellish not because of the conditions, which were pretty
comfortable all things considered, but hellish because of what happened next. A
couple days after the storm hit, because I was a probation and parole officer
at the time, I was sent back into the ruins of my beloved city to help evacuate
all the prisoners who were still sweltering in the prisons and jails. It was a
nightmare. Worst thing I’ve ever had to go through in my life. When I got back
I pushed all those images to the back of my mind and focused on doing what I
could with the house and those staying there. Not knowing what any of us where
going to do with our homes flooded and jobs closing down, and everything in
complete chaos, my partner got word from his family in Massachusetts, and we
decided to go up and re-start our lives in a place I’d never even visited. In
fact, I’d never been north of the Mason-Dixon Line. A whole new way of life. I’d
be trading in my sultry Southern summers and everything and everyone I knew,
for four seasons in that fantasy land called The North. Given the
circumstances, it was the most logical choice, but truly I was excited. Of
course, I’d be leaving my dear New Orleans, but the city was a wreck, and I was
not about to be reassigned to some parish out in the middle of Louisiana to
live in a place much like the conservative Mississippi I’d worked so hard to
get away from. Also, his family lived in Beverly, which is just across the bay
from….SALEM! The place where the witches are! Little did I know what was in
store for me there.

This is long, so I’m going to pick back up in another post.
Up next: Witchcraft in New England and the Salem Witches! Also, snow!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

I posted this sometime last year (2015), so adding it back:(no, I didn’t misspell the
first word, and, yes, feel free to envision the dude from Little Ceaser’s)

So, my first post-intro blog
entry should really be about Wic(c)a, since I have 20 years under my belt of
reading about it, studying it, practicing it in one form or another, as well as
criticizing it and giving it the stank eye from across the room. Keep in mind
that this entry is about Wicca, not witchcraft, which I’ll be writing about
later.

Let’s start with a bit of
history. Thankfully, many people have already done the hard work for me, so
I’ll just write a brief summary and provide a few links to some websites that
go into detail.

Long ago and far away…that
is, 1951 in England…a book was published by a man named Gerald B. Gardner, claiming
that witches, or rather members of a pre-Christian pagan religion from Europe,
who has been hiding in secret for an awful long time, had decided to tell the
world they were still around. Yay! In Witchcraft
Today Gardner explained how these seriously misunderstood folks had
survived Christian domination, the Inquisition, and the witch hunts (good for
them!) and what they believed and did. And he knew this for reals ‘cause he was
one of them, having been initiated into a coven in the New Forest area in 1939.
What he described greatly resembled what the Egyptologist and folklorist,
Margaret Murray talked about in her 1921 book The Witch-Cult in Western Europe. Murray’s “Witch-Cult Hypothesis”
was all the rage until it began being shot down by other academics, which
happened almost immediately. No matter, said Gardner and the witches…

This got the ball rolling and
Wicca was now public. Although originally spelled ‘Wica’ with one ‘c’ the
second ‘c’ wasn’t far behind. Some folks who descend directly from Gardner
(called Gardnerians, but only a few of them do this) prefer to use the original
spelling so other people don’t confuse them with tweens shopping at Hot Topic.
Two great websites that talk about Gardner and all the early members of the
witchcult can be found here (http://www.thewica.co.uk/index.html) and here (http://www.geraldgardner.com/).

Of course the media in
England went crazy with articles, tabloids, tv shows and the like. This, of
course, attracted the attention of folks who became extremely jealous and
wanted to be famous for being spooky witches….I mean, other witches who wanted
to share with the world their own brand of ancient magic (magic? magic…k? Do we
put the ‘k’ in now or not? Oh, Crowley’s already been here? So it’s with the
‘k’ now. Splendid.)…magick. Folks like Robert Cochrane, Sybil Leek, and Alex
Sanders came out of the woodwork (I wonder if those trees that wood was made
from came from the New Forest…hmm) and got themselves some attention with grandmother
stories and other Gardnerian-independent claims of ancient witchiness.

But hang on a minute,
Britian! The United States will NOT be left out of this! Ok, said the U.K., so
in the 1960s they sent over a man and wife, Raymond and Rosemary Buckland, so
America could also capitalize on…I mean…share in this new-found old faith,
guaranteed to boost antique store sales. Gardnerian Wicca settled in Long
Island, New York, and much like Lillith, began to beget hidden children of the
night, destined to bicker and argue amongst themselves and with outsiders for
decades to come.

In the 1970s there was an
occult explosion, with New York City as the epicenter. This article, The Doom
That Came to Chelsea (http://www.nypress.com/the-doom-that-came-to-chelsea/) serves as one small window into this dramatic wave
of witchcraft. The Warlock Shop, later known as the Magickal Childe, served as
one of the home bases, while Long Island saw the Gardnerian coven pass from the
Bucklands to Lady Theos and Phoenix, who produced a ton of new initiates that
later migrated to other large cities and places across the country. Although
Buckland was basically booted from the Gardnerian family due to the nasty
divorce from Rosemary, he began to publish books and promote the Buckland
Museum of Witchcraft (this makes a cameo appearance later in this entry.)

Much like a virus, Wicca
began to spread and mutate thanks, in part, to several outsiders getting hold
of non-initiate material (and maybe a tiny bit of actual initiate material) and
assuming it was the Holy Wiccan Chalice, then writing books (printed on paper
made from trees that were decidedly NOT from the New Forest) based on stuff
they couldn’t possibly understand correctly without the oral lore that was
meant to go with it. But before this, in1979, two books came out that plowed
the fertile (and bored) middle class, sowing the seeds that would produce these
anemic offspring. Spiral Dance by
Starhawk and Drawing Down the Moon by
Margot Adler were published. Housewives from shore to shore shouted “Blessed
Be!”

If the 1970s and 80s saw the
spread of the American mutation of Wicca, then what happened next can be seen
as the rise of the intelligence-resistant strain. Enter: Llewellyn
Publications, now known as Llewellyn Worldwide. Yes, that publishing house
with the little crescent moon as its symbol began to shit out diarrhetic reams
of the literary equivalent to branchless family trees, each of the dozens of
authors cannibalizing one another’s scurvy-ridden pages to create a tapestry
destined to become the next Hollywood backdrop.

And with the 1996 release of The Craft, every Books-a-Million and
Barnes and Noble then had a Neo-Pagan group chillin with all their very
powerful magickal selves near the coffee shop section. It was around this same
time that Yours Truly was browsing his local mall bookstore and found two books:
The Truth About Witchcraft Today and Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner,
both by Scott Cunningham (and published by Llewellyn.) Yes, folks, that’s
right. I gobbled up every book my Wal-Mart paycheck allowed me to afford, and I
was infected with that same virus as the pentacle-wearing 17 year old chick
with purple hair who attended the newly-established Wiccan Church, that held
public ceremonies, calling in every goddess known to mankind to come and Merry
Meet them.

And after three solid years
of holding my own solitary esbats in the woods behind my parents’ house and
community college dorm, wearing my (not-at-all-natural) white robe with hooded
cloak (that flowed so well since it was made from that material which was 50%
off at the Wal-Mart I worked at, which explains the not-natural part), I was
ready to provide the university I transferred into with some well-seasoned
Wicca by establishing the Mississippi State University Wiccan/Pagan Student
Alliance. Those couple of years with the WPSA was my first exposure to other
(eclectic) Wiccans and Neo-Pagans and made my heart soar, and much like Icarus
my time riding that broomstick of naïve eclecticism took a tumble after I
graduated and moved to New Orleans to discover the putrid pit of pagan politics
(which is most likely going to be a story for another day.)

By this time, academics had
begun taking note of the popularity of Wicca (both traditional and eclectic)
and the various modern witchcraft and neo-pagan groups forming and fighting for
equal rights. In 1999 historian Ronald Hutton’s book Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft was
published, which essentially nailed shut the coffin that contained the
moldering cadaver of Margaret Murray’s “witch-cult hypothesis” and the main
party line of the older, traditional Wiccans. (Much wailing and gnashing of
teeth was barely heard over the clacking of renaissance faire armor.) However,
if there were still some cracks in the coffin, they would pretty much be sealed
up with Philip Heselton’s 2001 Wiccan
Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival and his 2003 Cauldron of Inspiration: An Investigation
into the Sources of Gardnerian Witchcraft.

Despite all of this, I was
still a bit intrigued and a lot curious, so when the opportunity presented
itself in 2005 in the form of my High Priest (now ex-) partner to initiate into
Gardnerian (and other traditions of) Wicca I jumped on it. I became a 3rd
Degree High Priest in Long Island Line Gardnerian and Farrar Line Alexandrian,
as well as a 3rd Degree High Priest two traditions descending from
New York City’s 1970s-era Eddie Buczynski: New York Welsh and the Minoan
Brotherhood. It was a very busy four years, and my hand still hasn’t recovered
from copying all those Books of Shadows…by candlelight…in the dead of night…to
the baying of wolves.

Well, enough about me, let’s
talk about what I think of Wicca.

First and foremost, everyone
associated with Wicca, if they’re still doing this, has really got to drop the
Witch Party Line, a phrase I recently stole…I mean borrowed…from Jim Baker in
his 2014 book The Cunning Man’s Handbook:
The Practice of English Folk Magic 1550-1900. “The Witch Party Line” is
pathetically holding on for dear life and priesthood to that Murray witch-cult
hypothesis origin of the Wica (WICA…Wicca…wic(c)a. It’s an echo, you’re
supposed to be hearing this in your mind like an echo.) Rather than basing your religion on a pseudo history, which has been 99% disproven so many times now,
why not acknowledge its actual origins in Freemasonry, the OTO, the Golden
Dawn, Dion Fortune’s work, and a ton of other cool sources. And Freemasonry?
(Yes, Gardner was a Freemason and like a hundred other things, seriously, you
need to read the Heselton books) Freemasons are said to descend from the Knights
Templar. The *Knights Templar*! If that’s not metal enough for you, I don’t
know what is. (I don’t know how true that is, I’m just trying to get some folks
excited. Probably didn’t work.)

Ok, wait, look! Put down your
athames and swords and hear me out. I know. I really know. I’ve been there.
Wanting with all my heart and soul that I was somehow a recipient of some
romantic Mists of Avalon, Druid, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, pre-Christian Goddess
religion that somehow survived the Inquisitional fires despite all the evidence
to the contrary. But come on. Let’s face it. Yes, we feel things in circle.
There’s energy and spirits and stuff, but that doesn’t really mean that it’s an
ancient practice. Espiritismo in the Caribbean is relatively new (compared to the
older religions) and their shit works just fine. Their spirits come through
with no problem. So, just get over it. Our stuff, well Gardnerians anyway, has
been in existence since the 1950s and it’s managed to attract plenty of
spiritual guides (now if most Wiccans could just get better training in spirit
work, never mind, future post!) and we have our own list of ancestors at this
point. It doesn’t need to be old to work. Elsa, what was that? Yeah! Let it go!

This one is for the eclectic
Wiccans out there. Please know that currently published ideas like the “Wiccan
Rede,” the “Three-fold Law,” and concepts like Karma and Reincarnation are horribly
distorted. Remember earlier when I mentioned the publication of non-initiate
material mistaken for initiate material? Yeah, that right there. I’m not going
to go into them, but here’s a blog that does a fantastic job at it. And the
Gardnerian who wrote this is my Brother and friend. It’s awesome. Go here. (https://gardnerians.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/our-three-fold-response/)

This is getting really long,
so I’m gonna wrap it up by relating it all to New Orleans and the Wicca scene
here.

I’m not an expert on the
history of Wicca in New Orleans, but I have been an observer and participant
starting in 2001. As far as I can tell the first organization to jump on the
witchcraft bandwagon was The Religious Order of Witchcraft, established in 1972
by a woman named Mary Onieda Toups. Yes, the same one mentioned VERY BRIEFLY on
an episode of American Horror Story: Coven. Although, from what I can tell,
this was not originally a Wiccan thing. It was more of a home-grown,
self-taught occult/witchcraft group, however, I understand it may have later
adopted more Wiccan concepts.

Not sure what all went on
between the 70s/80s, but in the 90s a group emerged led by a woman named Velvet
Reith. At first a coven called something like Swamp Witches, it eventually
morphed into Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church and became an affiliate of
Aquarian Tabernacle Church. I encountered this group in 2001 and at the time
they had classes, open rituals, and clergy training. All their internet
listings are gone now, so I’m going to assume it’s closed. However, a group of
people from the CPWC has recently formed their own group called Bee Hive Coven.
Here’s their website. (http://beehivecoven.org/)

Gardnerian and Alexandrian
Wicca has had a presence in New Orleans since around the late 90s. My ex and
his (now) ex moved from Salem, MA to New Orleans in 1999 and established a
Gardnerian coven that lasted until 2005 with Hurricane Katrina (that bitch)
blowing most of the members up to New England (myself included, although I
wasn’t initiated by the New Orleans HPS, but later by the New Jersey HPS my ex
works with.) It wasn’t until last year in 2014 that New Orleans saw the founding
of another Gardnerian coven. There was allegedly an Alexandrian coven in New
Orleans pre-Katrina. I met the HPS once right before the storm and I know of at
least one of her initiates who is still here, although I have no idea if the
HPS and rest of the coven stuck around. Not to worry, though, because my
working partner and the HPS of our Gardnerian coven, the Crescent City Coven,
(go here to inquire http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_gr.html?a=usla&id=40425) are both Gardnerian and Alexandrian.

As a curious little side
note, there was a very brief period of time when the Buckland Museum of
Witchcraft was housed and on display in the French Quarter. But it was
mis-managed by folks who eventually lost the museum in a court battle and
aren’t really worth me mentioning here. The Museum, I believe, has been set up
as a trust with the most likely now defunct CPWC, mentioned above. 2016 Update: Looks like the museum is going to open again in OHIO! Yay. I'll be sure to book my trip early so to beat the crowds. http://wildhunt.org/2016/07/buckland-museum-poised-to-reopen-in-midwest.html#disqus_thread

There used to be a group of
Blue Star Wicca folks around, but since their HP, Kenny Klein, got arrested on
child porn charges last year, they’ve all understandably gone quiet. 2016 update: looks like the HPS still has a witchvox listing for the coven: http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_gr.html?a=usla&id=41430

You’d think that all the
mystery and magic New Orleans is known for that there’d be more options, but
no. It’s mainly tourists looking for voodoo dolls and ghost tours. And women
who try to sell off their Catholic family histories as “secret New Orleans
witch families.” But most of them are just first-generation eclectic witches.

Sevis
Ginen, also known as Haitian Vodou, comes from Haiti and has many roots that extend
back to several parts of Western and Central Africa, including Benin, Nigeria,
and the Congo. It is an ancestral-based spiritual system of great beauty and
power and seeks to work with, or serve, the spirits called Lwa in exchange for healing, blessing, protection, and prosperity.
Those who serve the Lwa, the Vodouisants,
look first to God, then to the Ancestors, Saints, and the Lwa for assistance in
the daily hardships of life.

A
ceremony of Sevis Ginen seeks to bring together these forces so the Lwa can
speak directly to us through the vehicle of spirit possession. Far from an evil
act, as Vodou has nothing to do with the Christian Devil, being possessed, or
mounted, by a Lwa is the anticipated outcome of the ceremonial songs and
gestures of the faithful. One or more Lwa can then directly address the people
and sometimes assist them with their problems. The beginning part of a
possession can seem very distressing as the person and Lwa fight for control of
the body. Should the Lwa come through fully he or she is then given appropriate
offerings and/or items by the Vodouisants. After saluting members of the house,
the Lwa may then choose to address visitors before leaving. Or the Lwa may stay
an undetermined amount of time before departing, administering advice and
assisting the those present in various spiritual and physical matters.

The
order of a ceremony follows the Regleman
each house (Vodou congregation) has inherited over the many years of spiritual re-formation
following the forceful relocation of the Africans to the New World, mixing of the various African nations and tribes and
inter-mixing with the quickly disappearing Native population. The Regleman
determines how and when each Lwa is served in ceremony, along with many other
rules pertaining to Sevis Ginen. Houses within the same region of Haiti usually
have a very similar Regleman, although details can vary from house to house.
There is no central authority or organization that determines an ultimate
Regleman, and each house is considered autonomous, receiving its guidance from
its Elders and the Lwa themselves. A major ceremony can take many hours and
even days to complete, however, tonight’s ceremony will be much simplified due
to various factors. Regardless, many hours of preparation go into even the
shortest of ceremonies. In the following description of the Order, there are
many “can”s, “may”s, and “usually”s, and that is because no two Vodou
ceremonies are ever exactly the same, as far as the behavior of the Lwa is
concerned, and one never knows what’s going to happen until it’s actually
happening.

The Order of the Ceremony

The Priye Ginen and the
Opening

Once
everything is in place, everyone will take a seat, and Mambo Marie will lead
the Priye Ginen, the opening prayer, which is a lengthy set of spoken and
chanted Catholic prayers, followed by many African and Haitian prayers for the
Lwa. When the Priye is finished, Mambo Marie will stand, followed by the
people, and the opening songs are sung. Everyone is encouraged to clap along
with the rhythm of the Asson, the sacred rattle used by the Hougans (priests)
and Mambos (priestesses), and to follow the dance steps. The Vodouisants will
salute each other, the Hougans and Mambos, the Hounsis (those who have gone
through some form of initiation into Sevis Ginen), and those who are
non-initiated members of the house. Throughout the ceremony, it is not
necessary for everyone to do the turns when ritual salutations are being done,
only those who are actively saluting need to do these.

The First Five Lwa:
Legba, Marassa, Loko, Ayizan, Danballah/Ayida

The
first Lwa to be saluted is always Legba, the gatekeeper, as he opens the gate
between our world and the Lwa. Those saluting him will go out to the main
entrance and ritually process back into the main ceremonial area. It is not
necessary for the people to follow. Following Legba, the Marassa, or cosmic
twins, are saluted, opening the doors for all children spirits. Candy may be
thrown in your general direction (watch out!) and handed out to the people.
Then we salute Papa Loko, who is the Lwa of the Priesthood; all Hougans and
Mambos pay special attention to Papa Loko, as he gives the Asson, the symbol of
the Priesthood. After Papa Loko, we salute Mambo Ayizan, the mother of
Initiation. All who have undergone the Kanzo or Sevis Tet rites serve her. The
final, but most important, of the first five Lwa served is Danballah/Ayida
Wedo. Danballah is the serpentine King of the Lwa, and Ayida is his rainbow
serpent wife/companion (and some say sister.) All must stand in respect, and no
one can smoke or drink alcohol during this time. When Danballah comes, he is
covered by a white sheet to preserve his purity and keep him cool. Sometimes
there is a short break after Danballah leaves or passes through.

The Rada

The
Rada nation of the Lwa are the cool spirits, most of whom come from the old
Kingdom of Dahomey, present day Benin. They include Sobo and Bade (thunder and
the wind that announces the storm), and Agasou and Silibo (the leopard king and
his wife). Agwe and LaSiren are the Master and Mistress of the ocean, Agwe the
sea admiral who sails in his ship, Immamou, and LaSiren the mermaid who swims
below the surface. Should they come, Agwe will mount his “ship” (a chair turned
backwards), and LaSiren will “swim” on a white sheet on the floor. The Ezilis
are the famous river spirits of femininity, luxury, wealth, the most well-known
being Ezili Freda. If Ezili Freda comes, all must be sprinkled with perfume,
and she usually only addresses men. Again, the white sheet will be brought out
so she doesn’t soil her feet. Following the water spirits are Bosou, the bull,
and Agaou Wedo, the winged serpent.

The Djouba

The
Lwa of the Djouba nation include Azaka, Kouzen, and Kouzin. These are the
hard-working peasants who toil the fields (Kouzen) and sale their wares in the
marketplace (Kouzin). They can be distrustful of city dwellers. Kouzen may ask
for money, then turn around and give it to someone who needs it more. Kouzin
may give everyone a piece of fruit, then go back around and collect her
payment. Have some money in your pockets, just in case.

The Nago: Papa Ogou!

The
Nago nation is comprised of the protective, paternal, masculine Lwa of war and
fire. Many of them originate from Yoruba land, present day Nigeria, and have
“Ogou” in their names, such as Ogou Badagris and Ogou Ferray. These spirits are
very forceful and stern, yet caring as a father, grandfather, or uncle. They
are usually all addressed as “Papa.” Cigars, rum, and machetes are their
signature offerings. Sometimes food is passed out to the people by Papa Ogou
himself before he leaves. Regardless, after Papa Ogou leaves there is a break,
and this usually signals the transition into a different type of Rite within
Sevis Ginen.

Ibo/Kongo/Petwo

Should
time allow, we may salute the Ibo, Kongo, and Petwo spirits. Many of these Lwa
are very hot and aggressive compared to the Rada, and the salutes, songs, and
dances reflect this intensified energy. The Ibo and Kongo spirits originate
from their respective origins in Africa, while the Pewto spirits were born from
the fires and anguish of slave times. The famous Ezili Dantor is part of the
Petwo nation. If there is not enough time, then one large salute, called a
Milokan, may be given to these Lwa.

The Cemetery:
Baron/Brijit/Ghede

The
last salutes are given to the Lwa of the cemetery and the dead. Death itself is
embodied in the trinity of Baron Samedi/LaKwa/Simitye, as the gatekeeper of the
cemetery. Mama Brijit is his wife and lives in the cemetery with all the Ghede,
who are the elevated spirits of the forgotten dead. Ghede very much embodies
the cycle of life, death, sex, and rebirth. He can be very sexual and vulgar,
as he stands beyond the norms of polite society, and because of that he’s
usually the life of the party! Ghede can sometimes follow other Lwa, but will
be politely asked to leave and come back when it is his time—you never know
with this Lwa!

Considerations during
the Ceremony

A
Vodou ceremony is a complex weaving of life situations: family, community,
spirit, ritual, and much more. In some respects it may resemble a serious
religious ritual, and in other respects it may seem more like a family reunion,
complete with arguments and tears of joy. Just remember to be open, courteous,
and patient. The Lwa have a very special bond to those who already serve them,
and so are considered more important than people they’ve never met. Thus, not
every Lwa will address everyone present, so please don’t be offended if you
don’t get to talk to a certain Lwa. Also, many of the Lwa speak (if they speak
at all) in Haitian Kreyol. There are very few Kreyol speakers at tonight’s
ceremony, so expect some awkward translations and interpretations of the Lwa’s
messages. Above all, approach tonight’s ceremony with love, honor, and respect.
Ayibobo!

One of the more important aspects of my personal practice
is keeping my living and ritual space free of anything that prevents me from
reaching my goals and succeeding in my spiritual work.

Protecting one’s self and one’s home against so-called evil spirits and
influences is some of the most ancient practices known to humans. Those of us
of a darker flavor tend to view these “evil spirits” through a different lens,
and most of us are quite intimate with those “evil influences” as we always get
the blame for sending them (which may or may not be true—I’m not telling).
However, when you strip away the hypocritical layers of moral ambiguity, most
techniques of protection and warding have nothing to do with “good” or “the
light,” and everything to do with good ole’ magical techniques and calling upon
the spirits with which one has aligned oneself to fend off the spirits and
influences of an attacker.

During a Witch War or magical attack of any kind, the already-existing home
protections and wards are the first line of defense. Once such an attack has
begun, it’s too late to simply put up wards, as you must go through the
laborious process of cleansing your home of the spirit or work before warding
or re-warding. So, it’s very important to have several layers of strong wards
in place at all times.

As much as I like spirits and forces of a darker nature, unfortunately, I
simply can’t have most of them hanging around all the time. It’s like having a
bunch of rough gang members living with you. They’d eventually eat you out of
house and home, run up your phone bill, break all your furniture, invite unwanted
guests, and drive you crazy. They’d never clean up after themselves, and they’d
never help with the laundry! You’d spend all your time and energy trying to
keep your life and home together that you wouldn’t have time for yourself or
your goals. Don’t get me wrong, they’re VERY good at what they do, and I
certainly employ them when needed; but as far as I’m concerned, they have to
either be working on a task I’ve negotiated with them, or they have to go back
to their own space and stay there until called—or at least stay out of my
space. That being said, there are a few of them that I like to keep around me
at all times, and I’ll talk about them later on.

The following techniques are by no means an exhaustive list but those that I’ve
personally found effective that I’ve gathered throughout my own journey. They
originate from Traditional Craft, Haitian Vodou, New Orleans Hoodoo, Espiritismo,
Palo, and a few other sources. I usually don’t make distinctions about where
each of them comes from; I simply do them because they’ve melded together in my
personal practice, and because they work for me.

Many writers have spoken about psychic shields, protective energy, and astral
work when it comes to protection and defense. The majority of the methods I
employ require a physical anchor for these energies in order to keep them in
place for a longer period of time. Re-charging wards on a regular basis, such
as once a month or once a season, is always a good idea. So, please feel free
to incorporate any psychic or astral techniques in which you are skilled into
these methods below as most witches and sorcerers realize charms, mojos, and
other physical objects are much less effective (if not completely ineffective)
without the power of the witch or sorcerer to activate and direct them.

Thresholds, Doors, and Windows

First and foremost in home protection is securing the main threshold, whether
that be to your house, apartment, or bedroom/dorm room. Next in line are
additional doorways, including cellar or basement doors that lead outside, and
finally there are windows and other small openings that open directly to the
outside. Any of these openings are susceptible to spiritual and magical attack
and should be warded in some way.

Doors and windows can be warded in several ways: on the door/window itself
(outside and inside), over the door/window and incorporating any lintels,
around it and incorporating the molding, across the threshold/sill, and
sometimes under it, burying something outside in the ground below. Depending on
the style and accessibility of locations around them, other creative methods
can be employed, but these are the most common I’ve encountered and employed.
What’s my rule of thumb for the amount of wards to use? More is more! Each
layer of warding draws the overall net tighter and fills in gaps left by other
layers (no one type of warding is ever 100%).

Before I list different techniques for warding doors and windows, I want to say
something about inviting people into your space and, therefore, across or
through any wards you have placed. (The old folk beliefs of needing to invite
“evil” into one’s home spring to mind.) When you invite someone into your home
or space, you are essentially opening up your home and de-activating your wards
for the person and all they carry with them. That is, unless you make a
split-second mental connection with your wards to allow in only the person and
not any ill-meaning spirits or workings with them, temporarily changing them
into filters rather than turning them off completely. Anyone who has come to
your home with ill intent, who is also in any way sensitive, will realize after
crossing your threshold and through those filters that not only do you know of
their intent, but also that you’ve just disarmed them and placed them in great
danger. They won’t stay long after that.

The following is a list of techniques in no particular order for warding doors
and windows:

--Crosses are some of the oldest and most common wards. They have nothing to do
with the Christian religion and everything to do with what the symbol of a
cross represents. Two long, slender pieces of material crossed over one another
is pretty much a universal symbol of “Stop! Halt! Do not pass! etc.” Sometimes
consideration is given to the physical strength of the material, such as metal
being stronger than wood, and sometimes the magical strength is given
consideration, such as the magical warding properties of the herb St. John’s
Wort. In any case, crosses can be made of anything that has some type of power,
such as iron railroad spikes, wood of the Rowan tree, Mullein stalks, two
knives, or even a spoon and fork. Most of the traditionally created crosses are
tied together using red string or yarn; one of the oldest European warding
crosses is two pieces of Rowan tree tied with red thread. It doesn’t matter
magically if the cross is hung as a horizontal/vertical cross or as an “X”, but
it may matter to some on a psychological level, which in turn affects their
magical working. Folks of the African Diaspora use the Catholic crucifix for
several reasons; however, for magical/spiritual purposes they rarely see the
crucifix as “Jesus on the Cross” but as the man of the crossroads who stands at
the gates between the worlds and either allows or denies entry to spiritual and
magical forces. Crosses can be placed on the front or back of doors, hung over
doors and windows, drawn in oil or cascarilla or even with paint (sometimes
adding powders to the paint). Like many wards they can be cleverly hidden or
disguised.

--Mirrors are wonderful wards in that they send back at the same time that they
deny entry. Small mirrors of any shape found at craft or fabric stores can be
placed (facing outward!) in windows and on the front or back of doors. Mirrors
on the back of doors can be easily hidden by a picture. They can be mounted
outside on the lintels over doors and windows, as well. Anoint the mirrors with
protection oil or an active liquid or protection potion before placing them.
This oil or liquid can be re-applied on a regular basis.

--Nails are used for their martial qualities of metallic strength and ability
to puncture, and they can be employed in a variety of ways. One source suggests
to take three nails to every door and window of your home and nail them
straight into the lower two corners and into the top center of the moldings or
borders. This creates a triangle, which is said to keep out unwanted influences.
Another source says to place either one or three nails, pointing outward, on
the sill of each window. Nails can also be made into small crosses and hung
over small entrances, such as windows and fireplaces. They are also a main
ingredient of the Witch’s Bottle (see below). The best metal is of course iron,
but in a pinch any strong nail will do.

--Red cords, imbued with the witch’s or sorcerer’s power, can be hung along the
lintels or top moldings over doors and windows in the most decorative and creative
ways. Knot magic can be incorporated into this.

--Charms, amulets, saint/holy metals, and talismans of all varieties can be
placed over doors and windows and on the back and front of doors.

--Protective herbs in dried, upside-down bunches or crushed and placed into
sachets or gris-gris bags can be hung over or around doors and windows. One of
the most decorative and innocuous-looking ward is a nicely dried bunch of
protective herbs tied with an attractive ribbon hung over or on both sides of a
door. Additional (and nastier) charms can be hidden inside the herbs. There are
dozens of protective herbs, so consult your references; however, one of the
strongest in European lore is St. John’s Wort that was gathered on Midsummer.
Many people of a Latin and Mediterranean origin hang small bunches of Rue in
doors and windows.

--Living plants and herbs can be placed on either side of doors and on window
sills. A living plant produces its own energy without needing to be re-charged,
and simply requesting the plant work for you in exchange for regular watering
and proper care is usually all that is needed. Sometimes you can pay it with
coins. Charged stones, small witch bottles, and other charms can be hidden
within the soil at the base of the plant. Aloe Vera plants are a favorite
amongst Latin and Caribbean people; some of them plant it in nothing but white
sugar and it lives that way for years. Other plants I’ve used and seen used
include Snake Plant (aka Mother-in-Law’s Tongue), Rosemary, Spider Plant (aka Airplane
Plant), and anything with spikes, thorns, or strong smells. Outdoors,
protective herbs and plants can be grown not only around entrances but around a
home or along property lines.

--Salt that has been charged with protective magic can be sprinkled across the
sill or threshold or a heavier line of line can be poured into a crevasse
between the sill and the floor. I tend to use Kosher salt for this.

--Red Brick Dust is a common and powerful ward in New Orleans and throughout
other places where Hoodoo is practiced. Red brick dust must be made from a red
brick of an existing or formerly standing structure, because it gains its power
from three major characteristics. 1) It was once a brick used to protect a
structure from the elements, and so it “remembers” how to be a boundary or
wall. 2) In its creation as a brick it underwent a process involving fire,
giving it those qualities. 3) The color red is used widely in defensive magic,
and the “redder” the brick, the better the dust. Red sand or ground up terra
cotta pots are not substitutes as there is an element of time and function
involved in the power of red brick dust. Making red brick dust is time
consuming and requires some effort, but that is a good opportunity to imbue the
substance with your energy, anger, and intent. It’s also a messy process, so do
it outside on pavement or in a cellar or basement. Once you have your red brick
dust, make a solid line of it across your main threshold and other door sills,
and optionally it can be placed across window sills if you don’t mind the mess.
Place it across the front and back steps and the beginnings of the walkway and
driveway to your home. When all entry places have been warded with red brick
dust, it sometimes feels as if your home has been surrounded by a solid brick
wall. It needs to be replaced and reinforced over time as it wears or washes
away, so make a large batch at one time to have on hand for emergencies.

There are many other ways to ward thresholds, doors, and windows, and the
techniques and variations are almost limitless. Use the above as a guide and
let your intuition and additional research be your guide.

Pentacles, Sigils, and other Images and Objects

A home or personal space can also be protected in other areas and ways.
Creating objects with sigils, symbols, various planetary pentacles, and so on,
and then placing them in strategic locations greatly enhances the overall
protective energies and mood of your home.

Sigils and symbols are best placed on parchment or paper of corresponding color
easily found at craft and hobby stores. If you have nothing else, disassemble a
brown paper bag or use construction paper (and if you’re that poor, get your
ass in gear and do some prosperity magic!).

The planetary pentacles from the Key of Solomon or other sources are good to
use, especially if you are being attacked by someone using the Goetia or have
an enemy that you know uses those spirits. The following technique is one I’ve
used with very good results. Obtain seven discs of wood about six inches in
diameter (usually pretty cheap at craft stores) and paint them with the
corresponding colors, one for each of the seven planets. Next, on parchment,
draw one pentacle for each of the planets from the Key of Solomon, usually the
first pentacle for each planet, using a colored pen of corresponding color (or
black for all if you don’t have colored pens). Make them about six inches in
diameter. Cut them out, glue them to the front side of their discs, and once
they’ve dried, if you want, you can coat them in a protective varnish or glaze.
After they’re done, it’s time to charge them, and timing is important. Ideally
this should be done during a waxing moon, but beginning on a Sunday night
charge your Sun pentacle within the hour of the Sun. Cast your circle, or do
whatever you usually do, and then sprinkle the pentacle with consecrated salt
water, pass it through Sun incense, anoint it with Sun oil, and charge the
pentacle using a Solar invocation and then telling it what its purpose is.
Repeat this process for each night of the week within the planetary hour for
the remaining six pentacles, ending with Saturn. Placement of your pentacles is
also important. The Sun pentacle can be placed in the highest location in the
eastern most point in your home or space, while the Moon pentacle can be placed
in the opposite high and western location. The Mars pentacle can be placed over
your main door for strong protection, and the Mercury pentacle can be placed
near your phone and/or computer. The Jupiter pentacle can be placed in the room
that represents your financial center or office, while the Venus pentacle can
be placed over your bed or somewhere else in your bedroom. The Saturn Pentacle
can be placed over the rear door or the lowest entrance, such as a cellar or basement
door that opens to the outside.

Charged and blessed images and statues of the Deities and Spirits you work with
can be placed near entrances and throughout the home.

The traditional Witch’s Bottle is an effective protection. Details for this can
be found in numerous resources, but the gist is to fill a glass or earthen
container with sharp objects, broken glass, your own urine, and so on. Seal it,
and bury it. I usually add protective herbs and red brick dust, among other
things, to mine. In the past I’ve made a set of five large bottles, burying
four in the four corners of my property and hiding one inside my home. I’ve
also made small witch bottles and placed them in strategic locations in my
home.

Sharing Space with Darker Spirits

I use the terms “dark” and “light” in relative terms, not
to be confused with “evil/bad” and “good,” and I realize the shortcomings of
these terms. However, for lack of better ones, these are the terms I’m
currently using.

The subject of sharing space with darker spirits and muertos (the dead, not
including one’s Ancestors) can be a separate discussion unto itself. I only
want to discuss this in regards to home protection. As I mentioned above, in my
experience I have found dark spirits to be a bit more aggressive in nature than
other spirits, and I prefer not to share space with most of them. That’s not to
say that I like filling my house with a bunch of “light” spirits, either. As
much as many dark spirits are aggressive, I’ve found that many light spirits
can be whiny, needy, and lazy. Everyone works in my house. No exceptions. If
you don’t work, you don’t get anything. If you expect me to lavish you with
attention and candles and refreshment on a regular basis, and then a time comes
to do something for me and you’re no where to be found—then you can just keep
moving on past my house. I don’t have time for that. Therefore, I only like to
share space with spirits who are loyal and hard-working and I couldn’t care
less if they’re considered by others to be “good” or “evil” or whatever.

The only issue that arises for me is when I do a home cleansing I don’t want to
risk banishing or insulting my hard-working, loyal dark spirits and muertos.
Since most recipes and techniques I know for cleansing one’s home is usually
unfairly tipped in the light spirits’ favor, I need to take extra steps for my
dark spirits. So, I announce to my spirits that I’m about to cleanse my home
and use substances that might drive them away or at least annoy them greatly. I
then provide a “hiding place” for them to dwell in during the cleansing. This
hiding place can be any type of object, but is most often a stone (many
cultures profess how spirits can take up residence in stones and stone
statues), which is then placed inside a protected container. The object and
container can be of anything you wish, but it’s best to let your spirit decide
what it likes. And for multiple spirits, you can have separate objects and the
same container or both separate objects and containers. I usually wait until the
next day after the cleansing to open everything back up, just to let it all
settle.

Everything I’ve written above is my own opinion and the result of my own
experiences, and none of it should be viewed as the one and only way home
protection can be accomplished. I’ve purposely left some subjects untouched,
such as home cleansings, as I could go on and on and never finish.

Since I’ve opened this can of worms, and since it’s getting
closer to that time of year when some people like to visit cemeteries more
frequently...and since several things for Santisima Muerte are done in the
cemetery any time of the year...I suppose I should throw out some tips for
spiritual safety and protection. The following is general information that I’ve
received over the years throughout my training in the various traditions I
hold. None of it will be specific to any tradition, therefore none of it will
be “secrets” I’m giving out. These concepts and tips are commonly found within
many of the Afro-Caribbean and New World
living folk traditions, although the spirits and details vary from tradition to
tradition. If you’ve been initiated and/or trained in tradition that employs
the cemetery, then stick with what you were taught. This is more for those who
are starting out or those who haven’t yet received the spiritual license and
protection many of the initiations of these traditions provide. Also, just
because these are general tips from different traditions, please don’t try to
use them to create your own hodge-podge practice. For example, don’t use this
information to petition Oya at the gate of the cemetery, so you can walk up to
the central cross to honor Baron Samdi, then proceed to a grave calling on Exus
and Pomba Giras to team up with Santisima Muerte to help you kill someone.
Please don’t try that. Instead, you can use what you find here for simple
honoring of the dead, collecting cemetery dirt, when you need to take something
to the cemetery for Santisima Muerte, and to generally protect yourself when
you feel like taking an afternoon stroll through the domain of the dead.

Denizens of the Cemetery

To give you an idea as to what you need protection from,
let’s look at who and what can be found in and around the cemetery. First and
foremost, there is the cemetery gatekeeper. This is the spiritual being who controls
the flow in and out of the cemetery for many spirits and who should always be
recognized and paid by a living person before entering. Failure to do so can
result in the gatekeeper allowing nasty spirits to leave the cemetery with you
and follow you home to cause trouble. Don’t snub the gatekeeper, as he/she
performs a vital role in keeping young and confused spirits from wandering out
of the cemetery and moving in with you! If you’re part of a tradition already,
you’re going to work with your tradition’s gatekeeper. If not, don’t worry,
just keep it simple and respectful, and devotees of Santisima Muerte can call
on her to intercede on their behalf.

By far the majority of the spirits encountered within the
cemetery walls are the ones you would expect, the dead. Not all the dead buried
here will be present, but a lot of them will be. Who are these folks? Well,
they’re people, like you and me, just without bodies or a sense of linear
time/space. Some may be confused, sad, angry, desperate, whatever. The spirits
of those who haven’t moved on to where ever it is they go or haven’t accepted
they’re dead will be the ones encountered easily and randomly. Their spirits
many times linger near their body, whether they know it or not. If you happen
to get the attention of these spirits the results can vary. They may try to
take their anger out on you, or try to get your attention to help them, or
follow you home to be near someone.

Just above the general dead in risk level are the spirits
who realize they’re dead and have over time began to learn how to use this to
their advantage. They’ve started to figure out how things work and how to get
what they need from the living. Again, these can be the spirits of many types
of people, including drug addicts, alcoholics, and murderers. They can from
time to time leave the cemetery after the sun sets, with the permission of the
gatekeeper, but usually they have to return by morning, unless they can find a
person or place that they can latch onto. A person walking home drunk in the
middle of the night tends to be a favorite.

Beyond those just mentioned, the more advanced and elevated spirits
of the dead have a higher potential for being dangerous. Typically, they’re
much older and have been around the block quite a few times, and by a few times
I mean centuries. They can also leave their own cemetery and go into others
with little trouble. Some of them may have been spiritual workers in life and
decided to stay around the physical realm to continue working for people in
exchange for payment(s). Lacking a strict set of ethics they must abide by,
they can be very tricky and typically have their own interests at heart.
Tricksters are among these spirits, the ones who can pretend to be higher
spirits, deities, and even sometimes try to imitate Santisima Muerte in order
to receive service from people.

Further up the hierarchy we encounter those who rule over
the cemetery, and generally the threat level goes down for most living people,
especially those who have not been initiated into any specific priesthood or
magical order. These spiritual beings heed little attention to the majority of
the living. It’s the priests and sorcerers who have to deal with them to grant
permission for any major workings to be done in their domain. However, an
untrained, uninitiated person dabbling around the cemetery without showing
proper respect is likely to attract some attention from these beings, with the
possibility of them sending some of the more dangerous spirits home with that
person to teach some harsh lessons.

The last spirits I feel I need to mention are the ones that
really should be a concern to most people, experienced or novice. These are
dark, twisted spirits of that are full of and induce anger, hate, malice,
obsession, addiction, and more. Spirits, some of which were once people and
some that never were, who for whatever reason have been transformed into
something far from human and closely resemble what most people in the Western
world would consider a demon. They can be found dwelling in an abandoned crypt
in the cemetery or lurking in shadows outside the walls. These spirits rarely
seek out living victims on their own, but they can be sent by some of the more
advanced ones to do whatever work needs to be done. Regardless, it’s best to
always be protected when going anywhere these spirits might be.

Cemetery Precautions
and Guidelines

Before you even leave your house to go to the cemetery, you
should exercise caution by covering your head. The head is the seat of the
soul, in many spiritual systems, and covering it while in the cemetery is one
of the easiest, yet most important, things you can do to protect yourself. (As
a side note, this can also be applied anytime you go somewhere that more than
likely can be a source of negative spirits and influences, such as a hospital,
bar, or jailhouse, or when you journey out at night.) You can wear a hat,
baseball cap, head wrap, bandana, whatever. If you want to make it a little
stronger, sprinkle a few drops of holy water inside the hat or cap or on the cloth
before putting it on. Wear whatever protective jewelry, including scapulars,
holy medals, or whatever else you may have. Place in your pockets whatever
protective objects you have made or had made for you. It wouldn’t hurt to have
a small bag of salt on you, as well. If you have any open wounds, bandage and
cover them. Finally, make sure you have pennies or some other coins to use as
simple payment for entry into the cemetery and to leave as offerings or payment
for whatever you’re doing.

When you approach the cemetery gate (or where the gate
should be), pause and knock three times. Announce who you are (you don’t have
to do it out loud) to the gatekeeper and ask permission to enter. Drop three
coins and walk in (the number of coins in addition to offerings vary from
tradition to tradition, but for something simple, three is a good number.) Some
people walk in backwards to prevent being identified, but for simple visits
this isn’t really a concern. If you’re just there to walk around or visit a
loved one’s grave, you’ve pretty much done all you need to do. Just be
respectful while you’re there. Don’t speak ill of the dead, and act as if
you’re in someone else’s home—because you are.

If you’ve come to leave offerings or deposit a working (be
careful with this until you have more experience and training from an
experienced teacher/godparent under your belt!), find the location you’re
looking for, leave the offerings or work, leave the payment, take three steps
backwards, turn, and walk away without looking back. And as you leave the
cemetery it might be a good idea to take out that little bag of salt and throw
some behind you over your shoulder after you’ve gone a few steps through the
gate. You may also want to take a cleansing bath when you get home—it helps if
you’ve already made it beforehand and it’s ready the moment you arrive. Also,
in these cases it would help to have a line of salt placed across the threshold
of your door before you leave. (If you haven’t noticed by now, salt is very
effective in protecting against many spirits of the dead, the less elevated
ones, that is.) These last few steps of should also be done if you’ve decided
to go and clean up some gravesites, as some people like to do around All Souls’
Day. It’s not always a great idea to go home and relax covered in cemetery
dirt.

Going to the cemetery at night is when extra precautions
should be taken, and this really shouldn’t be done by a novice or untrained
person. Nighttime is when many spirits of the dead are more active, along with
the others discussed earlier. Those tips I just mentioned should be done
anytime you decide to visit the boneyard after the sun sets. Be careful and
listen to your instincts. If you get an uneasy feeling while there, just leave.
Again, I stress finding a competent teacher or godparent to guide you before
doing anything in the cemetery after dark.

The signs that you’ve picked up something from the cemetery
or something’s followed you home can vary greatly. However, they usually
include restlessness, paranoia, difficulty sleeping, unpleasant dreams, lack of
energy, sudden illness, unusual mood swings, among other unpleasantries. If you
experience a combination of these symptoms after doing anything in a cemetery,
seek out a competent person who can determine what the problem is and provide a
solution. A cleansing of your body, along with your home, will take care of
most problems, but if you’re not experienced I highly suggest finding someone
who can do this for you. Most likely they will charge you, because it is time
and work, along with exposing themselves to the problem, but most of the time
it’s well worth it.

About Me

La Santisima Muerte - I work with the three-robed system as taught to me by Nick Arnoldi, who received it in Tijuana, Mexico, in 2001. Founder of The New Orleans Chapel of the Santisima Muerte.
Haitian Vodou - Houngan Asogwe, my mother is Bon Mambo Marie Carmel Charles, from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Palo Mayombe - I am Padre Nganga from Munanso Zarabanda Rompe Monte ba Quenda Ensila in Miami, FL.
Quimbanda - I have received licensa through Tata Apokan of Cabula Mavambl Ngobodi Nzila in NY.
Lukumi - Elekes, Warriors, and Hand of Orula in Miami, FL.
Ancestor Veneration - I venerate my U.S. Southern and European ancestors, both Christian (Protestant and Catholic) and Pagan (Norse and Celtic).
I received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with an emphasis in World Religious Studies from Mississippi State University in May 2000.
I first moved to New Orleans in 2001, and after Hurricane Katrina I moved to the Northshore area of Boston, MA, then I returned to New Orleans in 2010.